Lesser of Two Evils
by Lifestyle
Summary: [ZK AU]Katara grew up with Zhao, a man who never said ‘I love you’. She was saved by a banished Prince who held no regard for her. Now, she’ll have to choose: the father who raised her, or man she fell in love with?
1. Chapter 1

**LESSER OF TWO EVILS**

**Lifestyle **

**

* * *

THIS STORY STARTS AT THE BEGINNING OF EPISODE _3 (_season 1)!  
**_That was when Zuko arrived at Zhao's shipping yard, found out about the Avatar, battled over honor…etc...I'll branch off from the original plotline almost right away, but just have the idea anyway._**

* * *

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以毒攻毒- "Fight poison with poison. Fight fire with fire."  
-chinese proverb

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Katara must have cheated death at some point in her life.

And now her fate was getting its sweet revenge.

She felt a damp washcloth press against her forehead, helping to calm her nerves more than her fever. Her head pounded with every thought that passed through her head, her drowsiness beginning to overpower her. The bed was her only support. Her skin burned. Her eyes watered.

Most of all, she felt positively nauseous.

There was no way she was going to live past her eighteenth birthday like this.

The man at the back of the room gave the doctor by her bedside a stern look.

"It shouldn't be this bad," he murmured deeply, eyes wandering over the bedridden girl occasionally. He stayed near the shadows, where the candle light couldn't reach him, "It's never gotten this serious."

Katara allowed her eyes to close softly, her pants slowly beginning to fade. A nap wouldn't hurt….just a short one.

The doctor drew the stethoscope from her chest about the same time, a small sigh building up in his chest. He looked fairly young, normal in all its forms. His short black hair complemented his fair complexion. Scribing a quick note to himself, he spoke to the man behind him while continuing to tend to his patient.

The sun had set hours previously. Katara had just finished dinner, getting ready to settle down in bed and admire the full moon just outside her window, when everything took a turn for the worse.

That was three hours ago.

"At this point, there's nothing I can do" the pause that followed the comment was uncomfortable; "she needs rest and a good meal. I can prescribe some medication, but I can't guarantee its success."

The man in the back folded his arms, leaning casually against the wall, eyes trained at the metal lined floor. His uniform looked outlandish in comparison to the simple room, but it didn't seem like he particularly cared. The doctor continued, a hint of annoyance added to his tone.

"It would help if I knew what is making her so sick. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is some new type of virus…but…." he trailed off.

The man's fists clenched, and for the first time that evening, a flash of worry crossed his face. If the doctor had noticed, he didn't show it.

The candle light flickered, threatening to blow out the only remaining light in the room.

"What?" he shot.

"You're a powerful man, Zhao. Powerful men make powerful enemies," the doctor rambled "if there's anyone you know who might look the least bit suspicious…"

The man's face paled.

"And what exactly are you **_suggesting_**-"

The doctor had guts to cut him off in the middle of a sentence, especially with the tone he had been using.

"If you were to ask me, I'd say someone is poisoning her."

"Shut up already. That's impossible," Zhao ground out through clenched teeth, "Only a few members of my crew and I even know of her existence. Are you blaming them of treachery!"

"I don't think you understand-"

"Oh, I think I _do_."

"No," the doctor injected, "I don't think you do. If this was _natural_, than her sickness wouldn't be following a pattern."

The commander wore a blank stare.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed" berated the doctor, "I've visited night after night since last year. Look outside: A full moon. It was like that during my past twelve visits onboard your ship. I've studied medicine my entire life, and I've never heard of a virus that is triggered this way. But, then again, I don't have too many water tribe patients. Get her to her own people. They'll know more than any fire bender."

"…."

"Did you hear what I said? Get her to a water bender, or risk jeopardizing her life."

Zhao cracked his knuckles darkly, "You can't be serious. We're at war with the filthy beasts."

"On the contrary, I'm being quiet serious."

"**No**."

"I didn't say it would be easy."

"It doesn't matter how easy it is. It won't be done."

The doctor was about to respond when he spotted a dish of unfinished biscuits and tea on a nearby table.

"Was that Katara's dinner?" he questioned, changing the subject without even realizing it, "Has her food been checked?"

"How about we find out," Zhao mockingly held out a biscuit, "…tea and biscuit, doctor?"

"….."

Zhao rolled his eyes when the doctor stilled, but failed to hide his smirk. Not that he had tried, "don't worry, Lee, I wouldn't _dream_ of trying to poison you, even if the thought does seem very amusing to me at the moment. The food's safe."

He took a bite out of it just for spite.

"You need to work on your humor, Zhao," Lee, the doctor, replied instantly, running a hand though his hair steadily, "Nonetheless… this is serious. The prospects look grim for the girl. "

He drew a level stare.

The doctor held up one hand, only his pointer finger raised. He must have done this out of consideration of Katara who currently had her eyes closed. It looked like she had finally fallen asleep, but neither could be sure. He didn't want to say it out loud with the risk that she might hear it. But really, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. She was going to find out someday. Better sooner than later.

Later would work for now.

"This is not in terms of years, but in months," the doctor's eyes shadowed over, "no more, no less. Her heart's starting to fail. Not even the greatest practitioner in the world can start a heart back up once it's stopped."

One finger equals one month.

A death date, in other words.

His statement seemed to pass by Zhao like the doctor had only been commenting on the weather: In one ear and out the other. He didn't show one sign of emotion.

But had he ever?

He took one look at Katara. His gaze was distant, seemingly making up his mind in an instant.

His departure was silent as he brushed past the tent flap.

"If she dies before I get back, I won't hesitate in killing you."

* * *

30 minutes later-

* * *

"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail" 

"You mean the Avatar?"

Zuko cringed before turning on his uncle, "Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive every firebender will be out looking for him and I don't want _anyone_ getting in the way."

Zuko took a deep breath, flicking a piece of dirt off the shoulder of his armor.

They had finally reached the Fire Nation naval yard. Tents and buildings lay to the right, ships lined the left and what looks like a railroad line ran down the middle. The prow of Zuko's ship had been opened, its spout lying on the floor of the port.

Zuko was out of a ship, was one short of an Avatar, and had banked at_ Zhao's _shipping ground no less.

Today was going to be a great day.

And that was before Zhao caught sight of them.

"Well, well, well….if it isn't Prince Zuko and General Iroh." He gave a quick bow, "Great hero of our nation."

"Captain Zhao." Zuko muttered with distaste.

"It's commander now," he spoke calmly with a twist of self-satisfaction woven beneath, "The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests any time. What brings you to my harbor?"

"Our ships being repaired."

"Is it now..." Iroh gestured to the ship behind as Zhao's eyebrow shot up on his forehead, "That's quite a bit of damage."

"Yes….you wouldn't believe what happened" Zuko shot a sharp glance to his left, "Uncle! Tell commander Zhao what happened."

Iroh blinks.

"Ahhh…yes, I will do that. It was incredible." Iroh leaned over in Zuko's direction, "What….did we crash or something?"

"Commander Zhao!"

Zuko nearly collapsed with relief at the interruption. Zhao was immediately distracted.

"Lee."

The doctor stopped by his side, waving a pamphlet before his face.

"I've been researching on that..." he hesitated, noticing the presence of the other two men, "…thing we were concerned about earlier. I've got in touch with another doctor from the capital. She thinks she can help."

Zhao looked torn. He gave Zuko a side look.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to leave this conversation until later gentlemen," he smirked, "You must regale me with all the thrilling details of your crash. We can do it over drinks Tuesday morning."

Zhao and the doctor walked away, leaving a fuming Zuko in its wake. Iroh places a hand on his shoulder.

"Did we….._crash or something_…..!" Zuko snarled quietly, "Was that the best response you could think of!"

Zuko seemed to have forgotten he was the one who had passed the buck to him in the first place. Zuko huffed, ultimately releasing a gout of flame from his mouth that blew directly in his uncle's face. Iroh smiled, clouded with smoke.

"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew…Ohh! Tea!"

Zuko glowered to himself.

"What a complete waste of time…"

* * *

It was half past one AM. 

Zhao wasn't back yet.

Katara was almost too afraid to open her eyes at first. She was planning on lying there as she had if her curiosity hadn't gotten the better of her.

On the desk besides her, her hand brushed lightly across a parchment. A bolded insignia was on the front, so it wasn't from Zhao, he was too informal with her. It was crumpled at the edges and must have been done in a hurry.

"Zhao?" managing to sit into an upright position while rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she picked up the paper that she had felt from before.

The date in the top hand corner tipped her off how long she had been unconscious. A full day had already passed.

_Katara- _

_Take it easy for the next few days. This case was worst that your last, so some of the symptoms you experienced will carry over during that time. _Do not_ overexert yourself! This means no sword or archery practice, no obstacle courses, and no taunting the other trainees (I know how much you love to do that). Zhao left for a meeting with Iroh, a retired general visiting the area (but don't tell him I told you that). He's somewhere around here and should be returning shortly if he hasn't already. _

_-Lee_

_P.S. - you have a lovely necklace, Katara. I'm glad Zhao let you keep it. _

Katara held a hand over her heart, trying to steady it. The necklace had been her mother's.

Zhao was the only father she had ever known. He never went into much detail about where she had come from, it must be a touchy subject, but she knew enough to be satisfied.

Zhao had found her when she was two at the South Pole. She had been stranded, her parents either dead or….

It was war. She never blamed them.

Zhao had brought her back to his compound, given her a warm meal and had kept her ever since. Someday she wanted to return to her homeland just to see what she had grown up without. She'd go now if Zhao wasn't so adamant against it.

The truth was, Katara would never fit in anywhere.

The people of the Fire Nation were like her brothers and sisters. She walked the same, talked the same, and even ate in the same way as them. And yet…she would always be the girl from the water tribe who had lost her way. She couldn't even go out in public freely. Someone might as well chain her up, lock her away, and throw away the key.

If she was to return back to her people, she might look like everyone else, but the culture shock would overwhelm her.

The truth sucks sometimes.

Maybe Zhao wasn't holding her back. IF she really wanted to, nothing could stop her from returning. That was just the excuse she told herself the days she was scared.

Katara let her fingers glide over her necklace.

Deep down inside of him he must love her. Even though he's never said it, he must. He hated waterbenders; he hated any mention of them. So why keep her for all these years?

It went to prove that everyone had a heart, no matter how much they tried to deny it.

She thought about it the entire time she spent searching for her coat. Zhao wasn't back yet, so she was going for a night stroll.

As she pushed the tent flap away, checking both directions to make sure no one was around, she started walking in the direction of the dried up well. It was one of her favorite spots.

The port's empty streets gave her a feeling of trepidation.

By the time she had walked a good ways she was at the edge of a forest. She could clearly she the outline of the well just a ways off, bordering along the line of the woods and the developed community behind her.

She hadn't expected anyone else to be there. Surprise, surprise.

She yelped, probably louder than she would have liked, diving behind a tree. When no attack came, and the only noise to be heard was a distressed squirrel somewhere above her, she breathed again. It must have been her imagination.

She hated being naive.

Her hands shot up to her throat to try to pull the knife that had just been forced there.

Oh no….

Zhao was going to have a fit.

Wait. If she died, she wasn't even going to see Zhao have a fit!

She was forced away from the tree by a harsh hand. A plate of armor pressed against her back, an arm griping her side. If this wasn't such a traumatic situation, she would have blushed. She did so anyway out of anger.

"Who do you think you are!" she struggled, but his grip remained firm. She had hoped her voice had come across threatening, but she had tried to keep her voice down at the same time so it ended up more as a lame squeak, "Unhand me!"

His grip on the knife tightened, causing her panic to rise.

"**Hey! Hold on a minute! **I had no idea you were even there!"

"Likely case."

Ah. He speaks. And it was a _he_; not that she thought the person was a woman…he defiantly didn't feel…

She frowned, "Why are you here anyway?"

"So that I can catch spies in the act. Consider it my duty to the Fire Nation."

She glanced at her own skin. She had almost forgotten. He thought she was a spy…

"I'm not a waterbender you know. I may look like one-" He snorted, "If you take the knife away, I could explain."

He gave no answer.

"I swear by my honor I won't run! Or attempt to hurt you…or anything of that sort."

She hadn't expected that to work, it never had before, so she was pleasantly surprised when it did. The knife fell away as he let go of her at the same time, causing her to fall. She could care less that her knees were scraped up a bit.

Before she could turn around and look him face to face, he stepped in front of her.

She winced.

There was a nasty scar on the left side of his face. It only made his appearance appear more threatening than it already was. With his arms crossed over his chest, his stance held authority. His armor looked somewhat scuffed up. He had a small ponytail in the back of his head. He wasn't smiling. He was glaring though: at her.

He looked like a Zhao impersonator, only younger. Yet, from first glance, she could tell they were people from opposite sides of the spectrum. They probably hated each other. She had no idea how right she was.

He was waiting for her to explain.

She brought the tips of her fingers together: "I'm one of the….uh…daughters of the officers here." Zhao was going to kill her. She couldn't ever lie properly, "I travel a lot."

"You don't look like a firebender…" Katara gave out a shaky breath as he said this, "What's his position?"

_Commander_

"General." She chanted, taking a deep breath in the process. At least she hadn't given anything more away.

"General who?" he asked darkly.

_Suspicious more like. _

She put on a smile.

"You wouldn't know him. Actually, _I_ barely know him…"

"Try me, peasant."

She fumed, "Don't call me a peasant! I have a name!"

"Stop avoiding the-!" His eyes buckled as she shoved a hand against his mouth, which he tore off angrily, "What do you think you're doing!"

She glared at him, holding a finger to her lips.

"Be quiet! The whole camp can probably hear you!"

"So?"

"So! People are sleeping! I don't want to get caught!"

A snarl formed at his upper lip.

"I knew it, you are a waterbender!"

"I am not! Can't even bend that puddle. Now shut it before you get me in trouble!"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt his gaze on her. The silence that followed was deafening.

"…what did you say your father's name was?" he asked slowly, drawing out the question in a long, whispered manner.

This was the point where all lies fail, especially when you don't make back up plans. She could either tell the truth, lie again (which got her in this mess the first time) or avoid the question entirely.

It would have helped if she knew a general.

She thought back to earlier that evening where she had read one of the last lines in the letter Lee had left her.

_Zhao left for a meeting with Iroh, a retired general visiting the area. _

"Iroh."

That got his attention.

He had been staring out into the trees, perhaps thinking she wasn't even a bother to look at anymore, when his reaction sprang. She had never seen anyone's head turn so fast. She certainly heard the crack that came with it, and he certainly must have felt it.

He didn't seem to care.

Her face paled when a flicker of fire erupted from his fingertips.

"_You_," he roared, advancing while she backed away. He managed to grab her wrist at the last second before she could go any further, "I've had just about enough of this. You're going to come out and tell me exactly who you are."

Katara gulped heavily.

"I'm…"

"….."

"….I…….."

She looked up at his face, only to realize he wasn't even listening to her. His grip didn't loosen, but his eyes had focused on something beyond her shoulder. She didn't know he could look even more disturbed than he had a moment ago. She knew who it was the moment he spoke.

"Prince Zuko….what a surprise," said Zhao, "Out for a night stroll?"

She felt weak in the knees.

_Prince?_

He must not have spotted her yet. He sounded too calm.

_PRINCE!_

"Zhao."

_Must run, must run, must get away- OW_!

Zuko's grip on her wrist tightened so sharply she couldn't withhold a small yelp. The sound carried.

Zhao stopped in mid stride as he placed the noise. She could almost hear the gears in his mind churning while his anger started to boil. The heat from his stare burned on the back of her head. It couldn't have gotten any hotter unless he lit her on fire.

She wouldn't put it under him. He was a firebender after all.

He started walking again as if nothing had happened.

"And what do we have here?"

Zuko reacted tonelessly, "None of your business."

"Oh, but it _is_" he said smugly, a bounce in his step, "Escaped prisoners are always my concern.

Katara panicked before realizing he was bluffing. Zhao had obviously conjured up a plan, enough to get her out of the current situation.

She only hoped he didn't take it too far out of hand.

"Now, if you'd return her, we'll be on our way. She wouldn't want to miss her execution tomorrow."

Zuko did a double take, glancing quickly down at Katara. She could have sworn she saw a flash of sympathy in that half a second.

"On what charges."

"Existing should be reason enough" He smirked as Katara blanched, giving a short lived struggle against Zuko's hold, "I'm told burning to death is a very painful way to die."

Zuko fumed. His eyes flashed.

From Katara's position against him, she could she Zuko's hand clenching. His body began to shake with anger or fear, she wasn't sure.

Zhao smiled again.

"They've performed this particular execution only once before. It was for a certain _Fire Lord's_ wife. Capital punishment. The Prisoner's screams can be heard for days."

Zuko shot forward a step. In his anger, he seemed to have forgotten he was carrying Katara alongside with him. She stumbled to keep up.

"Dammit Zhao. You monster."

"Dully noted," Zhao held out a hand, "Hand the girl over."

"No."

Katara wasn't the only one surprised. In fact, she was clueless as to why he was still standing up for her. It would be a lot easier if he just stopped playing the hero and handed her over.

"No? I believe I just gave you an order."

"I don't take orders from you."

Zhao was laughing. He swept a hand though his hair as he bellowed. Zuko finally let go of Katara, pushing her behind him.

This was her chance to run. So why wasn't she?

"You're still the spoiled prince. No wonder your father hated you. Always wanting what you can't have." He pointed at Katara, "I bet you couldn't wait to get rid of her two minutes before I came."

Katara winced. Surprisingly, it wasn't at the comment.

While the two men continued their banter, a sharp tingling spread up her legs, one that was only too familiar.

"You're right. Some things never change."

Her breathing was getting heavy. She swayed on her feet. Her eyes connected with Zhao's. He seemed to stare right through her.

However, in his next statement, the first signs of worry appeared in his tone.

"That's enough. Give her to me and I won't have to hurt you."

Zuko's stare was more than answer enough. He even anticipated what was happening two seconds before Katara had.

Five archers, hidden behind the trees, stepped out into the clearing. They had their bows and arrows at the ready, holding back and waiting for the consent to fire.

Where she lived, Yu Yan archers are practically legends. Their accuracy is unrivaled. They could pin a fly to a tree without killing it.

Some claim they are the best in the world. How Zhao ever managed to get them in his hold for the night she had no idea.

But, then again, she_ had_ spent 12 years with him. She watched him us his cunning over and over again. He could word his way out of any predicament. He could convince entire armies to follow under his lead. If you didn't comply, you were dropped off a cliff. Simple as that.

She use to cringe when she thought about that.

She doesn't anymore.

OH yes, she often times lies awake at night thinking about all the horrible things he's done, and still she forgives him. It wears on her.

He was her father. What other choice did she have?

The Yu Yan archers held their ground.

These archers were meant for capturing. They were use to detaining prisoners for questioning. But if ordered: they will kill. And Zhao didn't look like a happy camper.

They fired all at the same time; two arrows per archer. Ten arrows in all.

…about to be lodged into their skulls.

She heard a small yell of outrage, two actually, Zhao's furious yell of – 'Idiots!" combined with Zuko's scream of fury. Zuko's yell made sense. Zhao's had not.

Then, she realized it was because those arrows weren't just aiming at Zuko- they were heading straight at her. The signal must have been played wrong. She had gotten in the way of a full fledged attack.

Oops.

Luckily for her, Zuko wasn't planning on dieing that day.

With an impressive dive and spin, he had gone from in front of her to behind, picking her up by the waist to roll them both to the ground. Dirt flied as they landed, an arrow wising just by her head as he made another move of evasion.

He shot a stroke of fire with his free hand, burning an arrow in midair.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She had never experienced anything like this in her entire life. The fire was overwhelming, pulsing to her fingertips.

She clamped her fist and pulled it towards her chest. Somewhere, she felt like she was pulling something to her.

It was so wonderful she barely noticed the pain. Not until she tried to move.

The dull _thunk _echoed in her mind. She inhaled sharply, cold rushing to her limbs, unimaginable pain erupting from her ankle. The feeling of adrenaline left her, just as all feeling seemed to do the same.

She heard another outraged scream, and then- a jerk- Zuko had fallen just behind her.

_Don't be dead, don't be dead…_

Her body wouldn't let her do much more than blink. Her lungs betrayed her.

Zhao was in that mood of his again. He was shouting- at her? At Zuko? The prince right? He was a prince? Yea….

Her head lolled listlessly to the side.

A pair of rough hands yanked her head towards the sky. It was awfully red...She could feel hands running down her body, checking for injuries?

"Get her to Lee."

Despite the circumstances, it felt odd to hear those words from him. In the back of her mind she had totally forgotten that it was the middle of the night, and that she had just met with a complete stranger, a prince no less, and that they were in the middle of nowhere…

She had forgotten who she was.

Her back arched in pain as heavy hands shifted her leg. Her vision blacked out for a moment.

"Easy! Easy. She's caught good." A woman appeared by her side, steadying her. She had no idea where Zhao had gone off to, "We'll have to pull it out. This is going to hurt a bit."

Was she saying that to her? The woman wasn't even looking at her.

"On the count of three. One-, two-"

Her entire ankle must have come off with that arrow. She tried to yelp, but something had been placed in her mouth, a cloth? She bit down heard, her entire body tensing as the object left her body. The arrow didn't come easy.

She was going to hurl. Someone needed to get her a bucket. Spots were forming against her eyes.

Voices filtered in and out of her head as she caught only brief snips of their conversations.

"-escaped?"

"-Should-after him?"

"No- let –erd go."

Something wet began to gather by her legs, and for a horror stricken moment, she thought it was blood. Tilting her head to see for herself, she realized it was nothing more than water winding its way towards her body. It was an odd sight, something she pushed aside as her stomach clenched painfully. It began to mix with mud and coated her silk dress (it was new too) as a pair of arms lifted her from the ground. She had no will or strength to battle whoever it was, and allowed them to carry her off.

It was quiet as her consciousness left her.

It was not peaceful.

She dreamed about death.

* * *

He heard the familiar doors creak open, lighting a smile on his face. 

Iroh poured himself more tea, settling himself down into his chair.

It was about time Zuko returned. He had stormed off two hours ago without so much as a goodbye. It had taken a while to calm down a few members of the crew after Zuko had aimed a lamp at their heads. He shouldn't have taught him such good aim.

It had been a long day….he thought to himself, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a nice cup of tea. Zuko didn't know what he was missing.

His ears strained for the familiar slamming of doors. It didn't come, and smile slowly slipped off Iroh's face.

He only had time to turn around when Zuko wobbled into the room.

Iroh sprang straight up out of his chair, knocking his tea over in the process. Zuko had managed to grip the wall besides him, but hadn't managed to do much else. Blood trailed from his chest: an arrow lodged firmly there. There was a far away look to his eyes, which jolted Iroh to his senses.

"Nephew!"

Zuko sank to his knees as Iroh ran over, supporting him by his shoulders.

"Zhao!" There was fever in his eyes, "Damn him!"

Zuko hadn't looked desperate for nearly two years. Trying to ignore the blood stained carpet, Iroh took his face in his hands, steadying his eyes towards his own while attempting to calm his own worried heart. He couldn't help but feel like a repeat of his past life was happening all over again.

"It doesn't matter Zuko."

"-Stupid!–conniving!-_the cretin_- talked about- _her!_" Zuko forced out the words, straining with every syllable.

His hands were already covering the wound, working as he heard the ship's crew begin to awake with the commotion.

Iroh was kneeling next to the boy, hovering over him as his nephew slid back against the wall, his legs spread out in front of him.

There was something about seeing Zuko like this that angered him. But most of all, it broke him.

He wasn't sure he could handle it if he lost another son.

* * *

/

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Lesser of Two Evils

* * *

**

_

* * *

_

冰冻三尺，非一日之寒 "Three feet of ice does not result from one day of freezing weather."

_Moral: A predicament is not formed without a period of events creating it. _

_-Chinese Proverb

* * *

_

Chapter 2

Someone had hell to pay -with interest.

"Commander Zhao. The prisoner has been interrogated. He refuses to comply with our requests. The remaining four in question are have yet to be found." The solider flipped a coversheet, "he's identified by the codename: Jet."

He didn't so much as frown, let alone smile, as he briskly brushed past the surrounding officers in the prison hall, including the one who had commented. They saluted, he didn't salute back.

Zhao made a sharp right turn, storming into the enclosed cell.

Right as he was about to slam the door shut, he turned and eyed the soldiers with a calculated look.

"No interruptions." He demanded, "Or you'll be joining _him_."

They knew who the 'him' was. The traitor on death row. The one who had been brought in in the middle of the night with no explanation.

No one knew the complete story… but it must have been quite something, to get Zhao this riled. Something personal.

"Yes sir."

Or he could just be having a crappy day.

The door closed and silence filled the passageways.

"….Jerk." One solider scuffed.

* * *

Zhao didn't waste time. Not his style.

If the kid hadn't ducked, his entire head would have caught the direct onslaught of an incoming fireball. A scorch mark sizzled on the wall instead.

"Next time, I won't miss," Zhao bore down, "You have 9 hours left of your pathetic life left before your execution. If you knew what was good for you, you'd tell me why you and your little friends posed as Yu-yan archers."

The boy spat at his feet, "Wasn't hard, murderer".

"I could say the same thing. Your aim is pathetic." Zhao scathed, "You seemed to forget one small detail when you came up with this brilliant plan of yours. Make it look like an accident: pose as the archers I hired, shoot the prince and the...-"he paused, "...Water girl. Kill them both, although I have no idea why'd you even shoot her in the first place. We'll get to that later."

He took calm, calculated steps towards the prisoner, circling him from behind with his hands held behind his back. He was in control.

"Yu-yan don't miss. If they had sought out to kill, they would have killed. Very Sloppy. You should be ashamed of yourself."

They gave each other good, long hard stares.

"It's only a matter of time before we catch your accomplices." He sneered.

Zhao wasn't pleased when the boy remained silent, obviously having been expecting a retort, but bit the bullet. He changed the subject, hoping for more luck. The boy in chains looked worse for wear, but his spirit compensated for it.

"It was understandable you aimed to kill the prince. Actually, I applaud you for it." he leaned forward menacingly, "But you wasted that chance. If you had focused all of your attention on the boy alone, he'd be dead now."

Zhao was reading the fire on his palm now. A warning, a threat, a reminder to answer truthfully.

"Why did you waste your arrows on the girl? Were you under orders!"

The boy's lowered head remained at a standstill, but his eyes rose to his hairline, almost to the point where they rolled into the back of his head.

"Why does it concern you…?"

Zhao's upper lip curled. It didn't go unnoticed.

"I am the one doing the questioning here."

The boy scrunched his face, his voice stricken and laced with poison.

"That girl… That girl was no _traitor_ to the fire nation. She was a traitor to her people!" the boy pulled against his bonds, suddenly furious, "What'd you do to her? Kidnap her! Brainwash her…rape her! Fire Nation scum! You're all the same!"

Zhao only had to give a simple flick of the wrist for the boy to be spitting up blood. The air rushed out of his lungs, as if he had just gotten a direct punch in the gut.

"You're very talkative for a captive." He seemed to seriously consider something, "Perhaps I should cut out your tongue, and then we shall see who is talking."

The boy looked ready to respond, shaking in his bonds, but the words never made it past his lips.

The door opened.

Zhao spun on his heals; ready to kill whoever even dared interrupt.

"I thought it made it clear-"Zhao's anger greatened, but he made a point of covering it up once he saw who it was. A superior, "Admiral."

"I'll take it from here, commander."

His eye brow twitched.

"But sir-"

"That was an order, Zhao, not a request." Said the man, "You're lucky I won't report you. You weren't supposed to be here in the first place. Don't tempt me."

IF there was anything to be learned upon meeting someone like Zhao, it was this: Play with fire, you'll get burned. Mess in his business and you'll have a scar to show for it.

He gave a snort of steam for show without even realizing it.

"Very well."

* * *

Oh, great heavens above: she shouldn't have tried that.

Her ankle tightened and flared with pain.

She had been lying in bed for the past few hours under doctor's orders, bored out of her wits. Not only was she bored, but she was alone, and when she was alone- she started to think. Think about things she shouldn't be thinking about. She began to worry. When she worried, she started to panic. When she panicked, she became rash.

Words like 'Zuko' and 'prince' kept popping up. It took all her effort to shove them back down and make them stay. - Which they wouldn't.

Katara crossed her arms.

It's not like she should care anyway. She had known him for all but five seconds before he had a weapon at her throat. That guy has serious issues.

_The guy with serious issues who just happened to save my life._

This obviously wasn't meant to be. They could never be friends, not with the current circumstances. The war, Zhao…

But, at least they weren't enemies…were they?

Disturbing dreams made a harsh nights' rest. With the amount of time a brain is given, it made her wonder how she was even able to sleep at all. The average person has 7 dreams every night, but they only remember one or two.

Was it possible to dream the same event over and over again?

This is too stimulating. What she needed to do was relax.

Zhao could have at least given her something to do with her hands. The comforter wouldn't last much longer if she continued to pick at the edges like this. Not that she cared if she tore the thing apart…it was an ugly orange color. He must only keep it because he _knows_ she hates it.

Either that, or he didn't dare throw away anything the fire lord had given him. It had been a present from five or so years ago. It was a very expensive gift, made from all the finest materials from around different parts of the world. Zhao had probably tired to sell it at one point, but the thing was too hideous and uncomfortable to get a worthwhile price. When that hadn't worked, he passed it down to the next best thing.

Her.

Thanks a lot.

Talking about Zhao, he still had yet to make an appearance. Her curiosity as to where he had got the best of her. He was always off somewhere or another these days.

She leaned over the edge of the mattress, blowing a strand of hair away from her eyes. Her ponytail was tussled as she scratched it in annoyance.

Her vision still wasn't up to its full capacity, she realized, as she leaned forward a bit more to try and make out the numbers of her clock on her bedside table.

Before she knew what was even happening, she fell right out of her bed, which now seemed much higher than it usually was as she sped straight for the floor.

She might as well not even have had legs at the rate she dropped. She landed on her good leg, only, one leg proved not to be enough and it had collapsed under the weight. Her body was still exhausted from trying to heal; she should have known. Not to mention her senses were dulled already from having just woken up.

Crumpling to the floor, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried ignore the pain. It felt like it had been shot for a second time. Stunned, she didn't dare move.

Then the wave of dizziness hit as all the blood rushed from her head to her feet. The headache and ringing in her ears was an added bonus.

But it wasn't the fall that had caused that, it was the raised voices in the other room.

Her train of thought stopped completely. She was almost positive two minutes ago no one had been there.

Her ears strained to make out their conversation, which was easy at first, to say the least, until the voices lowered to near whispers.

"Zhao, that didn't take long-"

"Shut it. Something's come up," there was a rustling of papers, "Pack your things; we're leaving."

"Leaving?" the voice said disbelievingly, "What about Katara?"

_They're talking about me?_

"What about her?"

"The trip would stress her condition. It'd be better if she stayed on land. Unless… you've considered what I said before?"

It seemed a little unnecessary to be that concerned. Her ankle didn't hurt that badly. It couldn't be life threatening.

"It's been considered." Zhao pounded out, "and you already know my answer."

"Then reconsider."

"There's nothing to reconsider… if it never was an _option_."

Their voices lowered even further, and for a minute, she couldn't hear anything other than hushed mumbles and the occasional growl. She identified the other voice as Lees'.

She felt like she was four again, listening in on her 'parents' while they talked about things _she couldn't possibly understand_.

They underestimated her.

"I've never seen a man so selfish. Put aside your own wants and think about Katara for once in your life." He validated, "She only has twenty nine days at this point. Time's running out."

"That's more than enough." Zhao's tone seemed to have softened, "I've already sent for top doctors to accompany us on the trip. There's nothing to worry about."

"Now you're being ignorant."

It grew quiet in the room as the conversation met closure. Katara felt a chill creep across the back of her arms. What would Zhao do now? She couldn't remember a time anyone had insulted him without a few broken jaws to follow.

"I'll be back shortly."

And just like that, he left.

Everything seemed to be intact: no broken vases, no broken chairs, and no broken jaws.

She had only assumed Lee had trailed after Zhao, when actually, he had somehow managed to enter her room without her know. He seemed to like hovering over her. Like a protective mother watching its newborn, or an eagle eyeing its newest prey.

Lee was almost harder to read than Zhao. His eyes were hardened, his pupils stilled. His posture was almost too precise to be believable.

"Lee! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Katara pointed, "I could have been indecent!"

Managing a bittersweet smile, he continued to stare at her.

"My apologies, but you don't have a door princess. I had no where to knock. Plus, I assumed you'd still be in bed. My guess wasn't far from the truth."

Unnerving her, his stare hardened. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Like he was burning a picture of her in his memory.

His mood was contagious as a similar frown appeared on her face.

"…Lee, what aren't you telling me? What's wrong?" Katara simpered, "It's me, isn't it?"

Lee was indecisive, but his answer came almost immediately.

Was the world coming to an end, or was his tone that dark for dramatic effect?

"………yes."

"This isn't about my ankle, is it?" Katara Abjured, "Last night wasn't like all the others. I'm not stupid."

"You're a smart girl."

That was the first time anyone had said anything of the sort to her. Zhao cared, but…

Was this warm feeling in her heart normal?

She held a hand over it, just to make sure she wasn't having a heart attack.

"What's going to happen now?"

His hand moved to her shoulder where he gripped it tightly, like he was afraid she would drop dead any moment without his support. Katara did a double take as her ponytail swished. Not use to human contact, she felt overwhelmed. She almost missed what he had to say as she tried to indiscreetly pry his hand off.

"What else? It's going to get worse…."

* * *

She was running faster than her legs could carry her.

She didn't even apologize to the people she bumped into. The deep red cloak she wore, adorned with a hood that shadowed her face, threatened to billow open the faster she went. Her hand clamped on it.

She had nothing to clamp down on her nerves. Her body had been taken over by a foreign force, driving her to the docks.

It was something called desperation.

"_I thought I was getting better!" she spun, "I feel fine." _

"_You were." Lee paused. _

"_Then what-" _

"_We're not sure. It's nearly driven me crazy trying to decipher it all." Lee sighed, "It's like your own…how do I describe it…your own body is destroying itself from inside out."_

She could see the lines of ships. She was getting closer.

"_Katara" he asked seriously, "…I have to ask. Are you a waterbender? _

_Her body froze. _

"_No." Her eyes closed tightly, "It seems like I've been getting that question a lot lately."_

"_Just hear me out, I know this is a tough subject for you." He whispered, "I didn't mean for it to be offensive or mocking of a question. I just had to make sure with your illness progressing at such an alarming rate. Something as little as this could make the difference between life and death. " _

_That scared her a bit. _

"_So I am dieing." _

"_Don't give up hope yet. There's still a large chance we can save you." _

_She gripped her hair tightly. _

"_Sometimes…when I dream, I am a waterbender. I see people I've never met. I've seen the Avatar. I see a boy dressed as a waterbender." Her hand brushed the carpet lightly, "I get killed by my own people." _

_She wasn't talking about the Water Tribe. _

_Lee looked little more than curious, slightly sympathetic. _

"_Katara, this world will judge you wherever you go. It's something you have to accept. Learn when you have the power to change it." Lee rubbed the back of his neck slowly, "…It's something I can't tell you straight out. You have to learn it for yourself, but just know this: Never be ashamed of who you are. Otherwise, you'll end up tearing yourself apart before anyone else gets the chance to."_

_Katara turned away._

"_Can you blame me for wishing?" _

"_Wishing what?" he coaxed. _

"_That I was someone else?" _

"_No." he continued, "No, I don't." _

"WAIT!"

The ship's ladder was rolling up, as men gave an 'all clear' signal. Her one chance of surviving was rolling its way out of the port.

"STOP!"

One of the soldiers turned towards her as her feet clicked along the dock.

"_What are you doing?" _

_He held his hand up harmlessly, grabbing a pot with his other. He motioned for her to lie still. _

"_I'll going to heal your ankle." _

_Katara blinked. _

"_Relax. I'll do the rest." _

_The moment his hand touched her ankle, her leg felt numb. She hear a curious swishing sound, the sound you hear when you put your ear on the floorboard of a ship in the middle of the ocean and you can hear the wave's vibrations. _

_As abruptly as he had started, he was pulling away. Her pain seemed to disappear with it. _

"_It will still be sore, so go easy on it" He grabbed her hand, "now get up." _

_She didn't have much of a choice as she was hauled to her feet. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't fall. She tested her ankle. _

_She only winced…a little. _

"_Lee! This is amazing!" she smiled at him, "You're amazing." _

_He smiled in return, puzzling her. Her hand, still caught in his own, tightened on its own accord. _

"_What?"_

"_It's always nice to see you smile." He shook his head, letting go of her hand, "Anyway… take these. At the South end of the shipping yard, you'll meet a good friend of mine a dock 25 N. Give him these papers and he'll let you onboard. I'll meet you at Omashu."_

_She eyed the papers in her hands confusingly. _

"_I'm leaving…?" she started, "What about Zhao?" _

"_Zhao may be stubborn enough not to get you a doctor, but I'm not. In two weeks, I'll have a doctor from the water tribe, who has a better understanding of your body than I can ever dream of. And don't look at me like that, Katara, it's your only hope."_

_She nodded begrudgingly. _

"_His ship leaves at any moment. Hurry or you won't make it." _

_He gave her a little push, but she remained. _

"_What about my belongings?" _

"_He'll have some on board. Bring nothing."_

"_What about my medication?" _

_Lee stopped dead in his tracks. She could have sworn she saw his ears perk. _

"_What medication? I didn't prescribe…" _

"_They're refills from what you gave me last month, remember?" _

_He let out a sigh, but continued to eye the bottle wearily. _

"_Ah. Good. You can take those then. But only use them in case of an emergency, understood?" _

_She softened. _

"_Can't you come with me?" _

"_No." _

"_You'll tell Zhao I've gone, won't you? You don't think he'll be mad?" _

"_Oh, he'll be mad. But that's my problem. Now go already and stop asking so many questions. You're too stubborn for your own good." _

_Katara remained put. _

"_Katara-" _

_She bounded forward, securing a quick, strong hug before turning and running out the door. _

_He watched her the whole way out. _

She was drawing quite a bit of attention towards herself. Maybe she should stop yelling.

That only made her shout louder.

Just for once in her life, she didn't want to follow Zhao's orders. And Zhao wasn't here anyway (she almost wished he was, just so he could see her), so she was going to scream and banter and make that _darn ship stop_ even if she had to jump into that bay and pull it back herself.

Ever since she had been a child, Zhao had trained her into being the unnoticeable, the person in the crowd, the little girl who might as well have been mute with how much she talked. It was one of the punishments she got for looking the way she did.

No one noticed the 'waterbender' if they couldn't see her.

Jee, that's only reason 675 for hating herself.

Zhao would be proud.

_Don't say that, Katara. _

She was thinking things she didn't mean. She was right. Zhao may be uptight and…a horrible father at times, but he'd never wanted her to hate herself.

This was just one of the side affects of depression.

_I'm dieing. _

Everything and nothing made her feel angry at Zhao all the sudden. Who did he think he was anyway, hiding the fact that she was _dieing_ from her? Ok, he never was good at that caring thing, but that didn't matter to her. She just wanted to know. Did he always have to hide **everything** from her? The nerve!

But then…how do you tell someone their dieing, straight to their face, without expecting a reaction.

She bit her lip.

He probably didn't want to believe it either.

It was only her will that left her standing at this point.

To her dismay, her heart skipped a beat as the ships engines roared and its furnaces blared, and it continued on unheeded.

She had picked up the pace again; she had reached the dock's piers. Nothing was going to stop her.

And now someone was in her way.

She tried to politely get around him, only for the man to slide in the same direction she went.

"Excuse me," she managed, eyes darting worriedly over his shoulder, "I'm in a hurry."

"Not this way, you aren't," he held up a palm, "No women allowed past this point."

Her eyes snapped back to his in indignation.

"_Excuse me_!"

"….you already said that."

"Women have always been allowed on the docks," Katara fumed, "…and how in the world did you know I was a woman! No wait! Don't answer that!"

Too late.

"Ahh…" his eyes trailed from her face, to her neck, and finally resettled on her chest.

She may have been wearing a cloak, but she forgot it didn't hide all of her…womanly attributes. Not that they were much, but-

_Don't knock him out-don't knock him out-don'tshovehisfreakingfacein-!_

This day sucked.

At least the man still didn't know who she was… her hood was still covering her face.

With one hand on her hip, papers outstretched in the other, she indignantly took a step forward.

"I have signed papers! There's no reason you can't let me pass."

The soldier's eyes flicked upwards, his hands resting on the hilt of the sword at his hip.

"I already told you. No women are permitted on these docks."

_Don't say anything stupid… _

And she didn't.

She kneed him in the crotch, instead.

Katara, always acting on impulse:

Fault number 676.

* * *

"I didn't mean to hit her so hard," A soldier managed, massaging the bruise on his shoulder, "but I won't say she didn't deserve it. She knocked out three of our men before I arrived, the little bit-"

"And you didn't bring her to the inland jail?" Iroh questioned.

The solider glowered.

"Believe me, I tried." he gave him a side look, "There's been a captive breakout. Supposedly it's serious. There weren't any extra guards on duty to look after her."

The soldier's frown deepened.

"They said she wasn't big enough of a threat. They said to dump her off at the next port," He chortled, "Hmp. I'd rather face the Fire Lord than deal with her. Let's throw her overboard and be done with it."

Iroh didn't so much as blink as he raised an eyebrow, stroking his chin as she mumbled from behind the jail bars, still unconscious.

"I wonder what she's doing way out here…"

"She's probably a spy." The guard handed him a roll of papers, slightly damp, "She had these on her person when we finally managed to subdue her. It fell into the water, so the words blurred….unfortunately."

He held up something else.

"This was in one of the pockets on her kimo." He held out a bottle of pills, "It looks like some type of medicine, but we have no idea what it is."

Iroh examined it.

"This is a cold medicine from the Fire Nation," he opened it up, looking at the pills inside, "But these are not cold medicine pills."

The guard stared intently at it as Iroh snapped it shut, pocketing it.

"Call me when the young lady awakens," Iroh then brightened, "I'll fetch us some tea in the meantime. Calms the spirit."

The guard's shoulders tightened noticeably.

"I'm perfectly calm."

"Ahh…" Iroh raised a finger, "but our guest will not be. Women from the Water Tribe are known for their kindness…and their fierce tempers."

The guard winced.

The ship rumbled, shuddered, and the engines churned.

* * *

As sleep left her, Katara had a feeling of déjà vu.

She really had to stop waking up like this.

"Good morning!" a balding man scratched his head, "Or is it afternoon….?"

She rubbed her eyes sleepily, accidentally touching a strand of her hair in the process. It distressed her slightly to find it wasn't in a ponytail anymore, but loose upon her shoulders.

She needed a shower first off, and then she'll worry about everything else. Everything else enlisted the man before her.

It couldn't be helped; now she was distracted.

"Who are you?" she questioned, her eyes trying to decipher his still blurry form. She rubbed her eyes some more, "Are we at Omashu yet?"

The man smiled, pouring a cup of tea as he opened his mouth to speak-

"**DAMMIT! What the-" **a large clatter sounded some floors above, "**Uncle**!**" **

Katara jumped, fully awake.

"What-t was that?" It sounded like someone was getting murdered.

He finished pouring the tea.

"How lovely, my nephew is up." he handed her a cup, which she accepted, but didn't drink. She looked at its contents suspiciously, "It's been a long time since we've had a woman on board. I'm sure he'll only be too happy to meet you."

Yeah, and get her head blown off in the process it sounded.

"Ummm, maybe I'll just stay here."

_Much safer behind bars._

She did a double take, "Wait, Why am I in a jail cell?" everything dawned upon her one moment to late.

_I'm in Jail! _

Rolling up her sleeves, but not in a threatening way, she tired to discern what was before her. She rose to her feet, stopped, and then slumped back down again.

What was the use anyway? She was going to die anyway, wasn't she? What was a little torture thrown in here and there?

Her short lived denial and shock had worn off. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes.

She had missed her ship, she had missed her opportunity, and- she missed _Zhao_!

The man was talking to her now. She didn't hear a word he said, other than something about a lotus tile?

This obviously meant something, but she couldn't care less. She was surrounded by a horde of strangers in a strange place where she was to live out the rest of her days.

Staring in his direction, she shook her head and turned the other way.

Tempted to sigh, she ran a hand through her hair.

….Greasy.

It wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Can I have a bath?"

* * *

A fume of smoke and fire flared from his nostrils.

Zuko had topped a ten on the anger scale, and apparently, neither his appearance nor his condition stopped him from storming down the halls.

His pants were still the same, slightly singed and bloody, but he was missing his armor and shirt. A swelter of bandages wound itself around his chest instead, however, which basically acted like a shirt.

Not to mention he look pissed beyond reason.

"Uncle!" he snapped, "What do you think you're _doing_!"

Zuko cut Iroh off before he had even thought about replying.

"You let Zhao go! I can't believe you let him get away with that… He can't continue going around thinking he can do whatever he wants!"

Iroh softened.

"Zuko, control your temper," Iroh insisted, "We have guests!"

"Guests." Zuko brought a hand to his forehead, teeth bared, "As in, more than one of them."

"Just one."

With a deep breath, Zuko huffed.

"Just great." his temple throbbed; Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, "………and what's that noise? It's giving me a headache."

"What noise?"

"It sounds like the shower's running," Zuko gave Iroh a direct look, "in _my_ bathroom."

"You make a valid point, Zuko."

"…………"

"You need more sleep. A man needs his rest. Why don't you go back to bed."

Zuko ignored him, instead storming over to the closed door. He pounded on it twice.

"Out! **Now**."

Silence for a few seconds. The water shut off.

"Come out in five seconds, or I'll break this door down!"

"Isn't that a little much-"

"NO!" Zuko backed up a step, "I don't care who this guy thinks he is, he is going to follow an order when I give it! Now get out of the way, uncle."

"I don't think that's such a great idea..."

The door was kicked in in less than two seconds, but the shock that followed lasted for more than an eternity.

Katara blinked, stopping short. Clad in a fluffy white towel, their eyes met.

Zuko froze.

"………Prince Zuko…...?" her eyes widened as she seemed to remember where she was, **"You pervert!**! GET OUT! GET OUT! **_GET OUT_**!"

At having been given a direct demand, Zuko's mind automatically shot to defend his pride.

He shot a look that said- _make me. _

"I am out." He pointed at the line between bathroom and hallway as he folded his arms.

"Then close the door!"

All eyes fell upon the disembodied door, now on its hinges.

Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Anything else?"

"QUIT STARING!"

"I'm not staring."

He stared.

"!" he barely dodged a bottle of shampoo as it flew by, "_Woman_, what is your-"

He ducked as the conditioner flew past. He heard Iroh go down for the count.

The next time, his luck ran out.

The bar of soap hit him directly in the forehead, where it then continued to slide down his face and drop harmlessly to the ground. His face didn't so much as twitch, but his expression darkened a substantial amount.

"………ow……" he went cross eyed, trying to look at the bubbles on his nose.

Katara then proceeded to slam the door in his face (at least what was left of it) as he slowly wiped the soap scum from his skin.

Iroh smiled cheekily

"….I think she likes you."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

LESSER OF TWO EVILS

_AN- Wow..has it been that long?_

* * *

福無重至, 禍不單行-

Moral : Fortune seldom repeats; troubles never occur alone.  
_-chinese proverb_

* * *

Chapter 3

It was dead silent.

Everything was still: the ocean, the ship, its passengers, her mind…for a moment, she even placed a hand over her own heart to make sure it hadn't stopped beating. The sky's winds ceased to exist. The beating waves fell silent. The soft pink of the clouds surrounded her, stretching past the horizon, past her vision, and seemingly flowing into the depths of herself. Basically, somewhere she couldn't reach.

Leaning against the railing of the ship, her breaths came in small pants as she allowed her eyes to close peacefully for the first time.

It had been two weeks since the ship's departure. At times it felt like two hours, and in others, it felt like two months.

Most the time, it felt like she didn't exist at all.

Katara wrapped her arms around herself suddenly feeling cold. A cool breeze caused the hair on her arms to rise and made her body shiver.

She must have been standing there for hours, greeted only by the sight of the back of her eyelids, wondering about herself, wondering about her father, wondering where she truly belonged.

Her breath caught as her eyes flashed open. A familiar feeling flooded into her senses, changing them into something familiar that she could no longer remember. Someone was calling her in the distance from a memory.

She peered down over the railing, curious, as the sound drifted up at her.

The blue waves sloshed back, and forth, silent, in a dance. Back and forth- back and forth- back and forth-back and forth-Now she was rocking in a similar pattern, feeling very loose on the tips of her feet and feeling detacted from stable ground.

Mysteriously drawn to the waves below, it was oddly satisfying knowing no one would catch her if she leaned just a little further…

Just a little…

Not even her intake of breath could be heard as she was pushed forward the rest of the way, her eyes snapping back to behind her to see the one man who stood behind her; the man who had just shoved her overboard.

Had he been there all along? Or could she just not see him?

Zhao sneered.

"You are no daughter of mine… _waterbender_."

She flailed, reaching out to him, trying to catch him before he disappeared, trying to explain to him something she could even vogue for herself… but she couldn't.

So instead, she screamed.

* * *

She woke up the same way. 

Her eyes stared at the ceiling in a dazed way, wondering if this was what it was like to drown. Instead, she realized that she wasn't lying at the bottom of the ocean, but rather in a small bed. The covers had managed to fall to the floor at some point. Her sole pillow had seemed to follow. The foreign surrounding intimidated her some, as she looked at both her pillow and blanket wondering where she was and why she was here. A few minutes later, her reasoning returned to her.

It was amazing how quickly time had passed.

She had gotten through the tough period of denial and depression that the first week of the previous two had brought. Now, she was slowly sinking into the folds of acceptance. And yet, the envy and slight sadness was still clear in her voice whenever someone asked if she was ok. General Iroh had asked her once upon seeing the dark bags under her eyes.

Katara didn't even want to begin thinking about how horrible she must look. Her hair felt like a mop that had been swept in mud one too many times, her skin felt dry and itchy. The atrocity! She probably smelled as bad as garbage.

Well, if she was going to be garbage, she might as well be warm while she was at it.

She felt around, comforted by the feel of the remainder of Fire Nation blankets as she wrapped one around her shoulders. She felt a steel wall- something she never thought would bring her such joy.

It had just been a nightmare- and it hadn't been the first.

Her nightmares were getting worse, almost to the point where she couldn't make it through one night without having three or four. She dreaded every time she went to bed, knowing there was nothing she could do it stop them. Katara put a hand over her heart, feeling it pulse with the fading adrenaline and fear. Sweat rolled down the front of her face as her clothes stuck irritatingly to her arms and legs.

She knew she wouldn't be getting any more sleep for quite awhile.

With that thought, she swung her legs over her bedside and walked over to her door. Some fresh air would probably do her some good.

* * *

"Well?" Zhao demanded. 

The general populace, consisting of only a total of four, looked hesitant.

"A slight problem…." One started, "actually, two problems…."

Zhao, little to say, was not pleased.

"Problems…." His eyes slowly roamed their faces, "Gentlemen, I'm beginning to think _you_ are the problem. One that can easily be **fixed**."

The fear in the men's eyes reflected in the glow of fire that rested on his palm.

"Yes sir. We fully understand."

"….."

"…."

"…._Well_?"

This time, no one jumped, cringed, or shuddered. In fact, no one said anything. One of the men made a gesture, beckoning him towards a small, damply lit hut.

It wasn't the hut itself that gathered attention.

It was the woman lying in the middle of it. By the looks from her face alone anyone walking into the room would have stared in disbelief. It had been a long time since an earth bender had been spotted near this landscape in the Firenation.

The woman's skin was a crystal white, unnaturally so, beautifully so. The only thing paler than her own body was the white sheet covering her from her feet to her chin.

"It didn't occur much more than a few hours ago, general. We sent a signal to you immediately after we heard the news," he paused, "but even then it was too late."

Zhao, for once, could find nothing to say to this- But if anyone had been listening close enough, they might have been able to hear increased pace of the blood rushing through his veins, or the hiss of breath that pierced the air as he inhaled.

It must have made the men nervous when Zhao made no further comment, and one broke the silence.

"The cause of death is still unknown but it seems like we're getting a lead. We were able to control her chakra until the last moment when it….well…"

Self Exploded? Self imploded? What's the difference- it made a big mess. A crater, in fact, one that could have held a fairly decent sized lake.

Someone cleared their throat.

"Overall, it was a partial success sir."

"Yes….success." Zhao couldn't seem to look away from the girl's face, the soft skin, the blue eyes, "it's a disaster, damn it."

"Right you are, sir."

Zhao seemed to snap out of a trance.

"Alright. You- grab my things."

"Yes, sir!"

"We're leaving port in 10 minutes for Omashu. Be late, and we leave you behind."

No one dared question why.

"Yes, sir!"

The men started to file out before Zhao faltered, as if he suddenly remembered something that he had almost forgotten (which he had). He tugged none too lightly at the remaining occupant whose arms and legs were bound with chains who had yet to say a word.

"Get up, Lee. No one likes a rebel."

Lee kept his head bowed, perhaps rightfully so.

"Oh, don't worry," Zhao evilly smirked, "I knew you were a traitor the moment I set eyes on you. You might look like a firebender, but I know a water whelp when I see one."

Lee kept his head bowed.

"That man was a fool for running off with that water bender." Zhao sighed, but not sincerely so, "Such a pity we share the same father. Such a difference in half brothers that I've ever seen. Me- a man born from a branch of the royal family- reduced to call some low class b family."

Lee raised his head to meet his eyes, a bittersweet smile on his face.

"Ah….so that's why you didn't take me seriously," he dawdled, "about Katara and her condition, I mean. You and your pride…."

"On the contrary, it had nothing to do with that. I've know perfectly well how long you've been planning to ship her away. I never trusted you from the start."

Zhao laughed.

"Yes, yes, it's funny now that I look at it. At first I almost expected you to kill her. Ha! But I knew you were too weak to follow through on it."

Zhao tugged on the chains, the traces of humor slowly fading from his face.

A horn softly blared in the distance.

"Now hurry up or we'll be late."

Unbeknown to Lee, Zhao made sure to hide the worry lines that had begun to form on his forehead as the pair shuffled out.

Things were not well at all.

And with this new development of the earthbender, he knew things were only going to get worse.

* * *

Katara hatred for dark corridors was up on her top ten list of - 'major dislikes'. 

What was it with the Fire Nation and their assumption that _everyone_ was a firebender? How was anyone supposed to see down these halls without any light?

She was still on the edge too, jumping at every shadow or creak in the floor.

Basically, she was lost. She was lost, she was tired, she was scared, and she was slightly PMSing, (even though she wasn't, but it made her feel better to think up an excuse). She had accumulated more bruises in ten minutes from slamming into hidden corners than she had ever had in her entire life.

Katara was just about to turn back (or faint from exhaustion), when she found the door leading to the deck.

The handle was cool to the touch, cooler than normal, sending a shock that traveled down her spine as she turned the knob and opened the door a crack.

It was a good thing she hadn't opened it all the way because she soon came to realize she wasn't alone. She was almost tempted to shut it all the way with the cool sweep of air that brushed past her. Katara shivered instantaneously, never feeling so cold in her entire life.

The figure wasn't hard to make out since the darkness outside looked like mid-afternoon in comparison to the pitch black corridors she had just left. One thing she couldn't make sense of, however, was why the prince of the Fire Nation had decided to take up fire bending at two in the morning. It looked like he hadn't even gone to bed.

His back was to her as he panted his foot firmly onto the deck, seemingly concentrating on nothing in particular. His stance was defensive, ready to spring into the attack, and yet holding his ground.

Then, he sprang.

Saying his movements were hard to follow was an understatement: it was nearly impossible. A sidestep, a burst of fire, a roundhouse kick with a flaming foot- it looked so planned and coordinated she wouldn't have been surprised if it was. She couldn't take her eyes off it: the beauty of bending. Sure, she had watched her father bend a few times, namely when he thought she wasn't watching, but nothing as intense as this. It was almost as if he was battling against himself.

The prince continued like this for minutes, illuminating different areas of the deck as fire shot from his hands and spiraled. Once or twice a stray flame came close enough to her hiding spot to elicit panic, only to pass by with a spurt of warmth before disappearing into thin air.

And as soon as it had begun, it was over.

He brushed off his shoulder (which surprisingly lacked its usual armor she had come to see him in the past two weeks), as he rolled his wrist lightly, clenching and unclenching his hand. Gray smoke trailed lightly.

He stood rooted to the spot, his face still hidden in the shadows. He turned his head slightly to the side and spoke with calmness unheard of by him.

"It's rude to stare."

Katara jumped, wincing as she slammed her elbow into the metal door.

Feeling guilty, although a deep part of her told her there was nothing to be guilty about, she stepped out into the open while rubbing her tingling arm.

"Sorry," she started, "I didn't think anyone was going to be up here…and then, well..."

The prince had already gone back to ignoring her.

For some reason, his brush-off attitude failed to induce her usual anger, but rather made her gut churn uncomfortably.

He was leaning over the railing staring out into the dark waters. There was no smile on his face, and yet no frown. It was an unemotional look which made his eyes glaze over- empty and distant.

He wasn't snapping at anyone, wasn't snarling- just detached like a puppet cut of all from all its strings.

Suddenly, she wanted him to yell, she wanted to provoke him, anything at all just to drive that look from his face.

Her hand trembled lightly, willing the visions of her nightmare to stay buried where she had left them.

She stared at the back of his head for a bit before Katara made her way to his side, separated by a good three or four feet.

"How's your chest?" she questioned, trying to strike up small talk, "is it still sore?"

It didn't work.

"I'm fine." He muttered.

Liar.

His neck tensed whenever he shifted. His shoulders trembled whenever he moved his arms when he thought no one was looking. The hardened lines on his face branched, making him look much older than he actually was. She could have sworn a few times his body even shook, as if he was convulsing in pain.

If he was 'fine', she didn't even want to know how he felt when feeling dreadful.

It reminded her of Zhao.

_Stubborn fools the lot of them._

"Well…That's good…." She attempted a smile, "You healed pretty quickly from what your uncle says."

Silence.

"Shouldn't you be in a cell or something?"

"General Iroh transferred me to the guest room…"

He grunted.

"Figures."

Ok, that was a little insensitive. She huffed.

"You know, you don't have to be so rude all the time." She declared indignantly, hands perched on the sides of her hips, "I'm just trying to be nice!"

Their eyes connected for the first time that night. He took the opportunity to shoot a look that all but screamed – 'I can do whatever hell I want'- which shut her up, she had to admit.

The stare was so direct she was tempted to take a step back in order to put some space between them.

And while she was suddenly wishing she had never ventured to the upper deck, something crossed her mind that she had forgotten up to this point.

"Your highness-"

"Don't call me that!" he cut in sharply. Katara winced.

"Then what should I call you?"

A look of pure indecision crossed his face as if he had never been asked such a question before.

"What?" Katara grinned, "You didn't expect me to call you 'it' or something did you?"

"Of course not!"

She waited patiently. She waited so long that it felt like she might have to resort to calling him 'it'. Really, she didn't know what the big deal was about. She briefly remembered calling his name when he had 'walked' in on her in the bathroom almost two weeks ago.

She held a hand to her cheek as they tinted red in a soft blush.

Anger….yes; it was because she was angry…

Luckily he didn't seem to notice.

"Prince Zuko..." he started, "Prince Zuko is fine." He trailed…

"OK prince Zuko," she clucked. She held out a hand to shake which he regarded warily, "My name is Katara. What a pleasure it is to meet you!"

Her smile faded when she realized his frown had deepened.

"What?"

"Why are you talking to me, anyway?" he snapped.

"What do you mean, 'why am I talking to you'. I'm trying-"

"Well stop."

Katara sputtered.

"It's not like a little decent conversation will kill you." Katara watched as the prince crossed his arms and turned from her, "Is it that hard to believe that its OK to be a little sociable every once in a while?"

His expression turned to ice in that moment, as did his tone of voice.

"You-"he pointed at her, nearly poking her in the chest. She could feel the heat beginning to build under his fingertips, "-are a prisoner under my command. Prisoners do not talk to their captives unless there is something to be gained for themselves. So skip the **pleasantries** and tell me what you really want!"

Katara froze. She hadn't even thought about that. She was a prisoner, wasn't she? Even if it was for a minor charge. Prince Zuko's uncle had been acting like he had dropped all charges for the past two weeks, but Prince Zuko himself seemed to be having entirely different ideas on the matter.

"Pleasantries…? I just wanted…"

_What did she want?_

She swallowed thickly.

"Maybe I just wanted tothank you." She sighed, "For saving me that one time…"

His voice was melancholy when he spoke, sending a shiver down her spine quite unrelated to the coldness of the air.

"Don't thank me just yet."

He ended the statement and stared at her intently. She squirmed when his eyes narrowed further, cocking his head to the side lightly as if seeing her for the first time. Or maybe mistaking her for someone else.

Katara indiscreetly looked over her shoulder to make sure he had been staring at her and not something else.

There was nothing behind her minus the stilled ocean.

_Water..._

Her breathing stopped. Katara heard the waves lapping quietly against the ship. The strange feeling in her fingertips she had felt in her nightmare returned.

In half panic- she jumped away from the railing, not realizing that in doing so it had brought her that much closer to the prince.

He caught her shoulders firmly so she wouldn't topple over, but released them shortly after. The prince rushed past her to look over the side of the ship and find the source of her distress. A stowaway? An intruder? The tension in his shoulders relaxed when he realized there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as he was about to demand an explanation from her, he realized it was no use. By the time he had turned around Katara had already gone.

* * *

Slamming her door shut, Katara slid down its back and huddled onto the floor. She buried her head into her knees and fought to control the trembling. 

She had totally forgotten about her medicine. Where was it!? How could she have lost it?!

It had to be here somewhere, at least. She hadn't left her room much.

Holding her head, she began to crawl across the floor towards her bedside.

The tingling was becoming stronger and spreading up her arms, causing her efforts to double as she shuffled hurriedly though day old laundry and bed sheets.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

She gave up completely after a minute of failed attempts, falling completely to the floor. Her hands pulsed to the rhythm of her heartbeat as sweat ran steadily down the length of her body.

Her hand shot out suddenly on reflex and time slowed.

The glass of water sat solemnly on the bedside table. Undisturbed and peaceful. Half a second passed and a small crack formed in the corner of the glass. Nothing to worry about. Then, another- crack! - Another, and another.

Time resumed as the glass shattered into a million pieces.

Katara let out a soft cry as some of the rouge pieces bit into her face and skin, the rest shooting into the distant corners of her room.

All thought left her as she succumbed to the darkness and finally fell still.

Unknown to her, multiple bullet sized holes now scattered her walls, the result of water hitting it so forcefully that it had torn through three sheets of pure metal.

And to think, she would never remember the first time she ever bended water.

* * *

… 

_TBC_


End file.
